Cloud storage systems at risk from rogue programmers

Commenting on a security blog from Forrester Research – in which principal analyst Mike Gualtieri observed that the security of cloud data storage services can be negated by a single careless programmer – Varonis Systems says that this highlights the great danger with cloud data storage services.

David Gibson, Varonis’ VP of strategy, says that cloud data storage services are another form of outsourcing and – as such – client companies are incredibly reliant on the actions of the outsourced organization (and their staff) for data governance and security issues.

“At the same time, the liability for the data remains with the client company. You can outsource the function, but you cannot outsource the liability, which means a single slip – as Forrester’s Gualtieri says – can neuter your company’s cloud security measures,” he said.

“I’d actually go further and say that the outsourcing of data management to a free or low-cost cloud provider is a potentially dangerous game. In the UK it could well land you with a data breach penalty of up to £250,000 from the Information Commissioner’s Office,” he added.

These risks can be avoided by opting for technologies that enable businesses to keep their data on their own servers, using or even improving their existing permissions, and providing cloud-like access, removing the dangers associated with data leaving the enterprise.